Verdict № 02 · Role-playing
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review
A French studio's debut turned turn-based combat into something you perform. Game of the Year, fairly priced and on Game Pass from day one.
The members of Expedition 33 on a rocky outcrop beneath a vast painted sky. Official image: Kepler Interactive.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is set in a Belle Époque world where, once a year, a being called the Paintress erases everyone above a certain age. You lead the latest expedition sent to stop her. The combat is turn-based, but every enemy attack is a live test of timing, to dodge, parry or jump, so fights feel performed rather than chosen from a menu. Sandfall Interactive's first game became the story of 2025: 92 on Metacritic, 98% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic, and Game of the Year at The Game Awards, one of nine awards it took that night.
It also has one of the cleanest bills in this set. The standard edition lists at £41.99 on Steam and GOG and £44.99 on PS5; the £49.99 Deluxe Edition adds only outfits; a large content update in December 2025 was free; and it has been on Game Pass since launch. It is rated PEGI 18 for violence and strong language.
A modern classic that respects your money as much as your time.The verdict in one line
The review, milestone by milestone
- mark 9.0
Hours 1 to 5
Lumière and the first expedition
The prologue in the city of Lumière gives the annual erasure real emotional weight before the expedition sets out. The early areas teach the combat's two layers: choose actions on your turn, then survive the enemy's by dodging, parrying and jumping in time with each attack, with free-aim shots at weak points.
The difficulty can be changed at any time, so the timing never becomes a wall.
- mark 10.0
The middle stretch
The turn at the end of Act I
Without spoiling it, the end of the first act changes what the story is about, and the game keeps building from there. The world map opens up as your companion Esquie learns to cross new terrain, and builds deepen through Pictos and Lumina passives, weapons and each character's own mechanic.
This stretch is where critics placed the game among the best of its generation, and it is the reason its Verdict is the highest of any role-playing game we have reviewed.
- mark 8.5
The long tail
Act III, the tower and New Game Plus
The final act adds optional superbosses, the Endless Tower and an arena, and there is New Game Plus. The free Verso's Drafts update in December 2025 added a new area, tougher tower bosses, photo mode, controller remapping and seven more languages.
Main story plus extras runs to about 46 hours; completionists report 69.
- mark 8.8
Craft and access
Unreal Engine 5, handled with care
It looks extraordinary and has been patched steadily. A known crash on some PC set-ups when leaving one location has a simple workaround: set global illumination below its highest setting.
Access is good: three difficulty levels, a retry prompt after defeat, subtitle and text-size options, colourblind-friendly icons, remapping and HUD scaling.
The bill: what it really costs in the UK
There is nothing to buy inside the game. The only choice is how you pay for the game itself.
The bill · Clair Obscur
Or play it through PC Game Pass or Game Pass Premium at £10.99 a month; four months of Game Pass would cost more than buying it.
Where to buy it and how you can pay
Clair Obscur is sold on every major PC and console store except Nintendo's. PC players have the widest choice, and GOG sells it without copy protection and with a 30-day refund window.
On consoles, the PlayStation Store lists it at £44.99. The Microsoft Store showed £41.74 on the day we checked, a figure that looks like a temporary change.
Steam
£33.59 until 28 September.
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GOG
Also £33.59 in the current sale; Deluxe £39.99.
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PlayStation Store
Deluxe Edition £49.99.
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Xbox and Microsoft Store
Listed price on 25 September; check at checkout.
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Before you pay: if you already pay for PC Game Pass or Game Pass Premium, it is included; if you would subscribe only for this game, buying it works out cheaper after about four months. The PS5 version costs £3 more than PC, and PlayStation refunds end once the download starts.
How the scores add up
| How it plays | Weight | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| First hours | 15% | 9.0 |
| The middle stretch | 30% | 10.0 |
| The long tail | 20% | 8.5 |
| Craft | 20% | 9.0 |
| Access | 15% | 8.5 |
| What it costs | Weight | Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Price against play | 35% | 8.5 |
| Honest pricing | 25% | 9.0 |
| Ways to pay | 20% | 9.0 |
| Protection | 20% | 8.0 |
What we rate
- Turn-based combat that demands real-time skill
- A story and score that earned Game of the Year
- A cosmetic-only Deluxe Edition and a large free update
- On every major store, and in Game Pass
What costs it
- Parry timing on the hardest setting is punishing
- A few fiddly optional minigames
- PEGI 18: not for younger players
- No Nintendo version
Buy it if
you want the most acclaimed story of recent years at a fair price; it is the easiest recommendation in our twelve.
Think twice if
you strongly dislike timing-based inputs; the easier setting helps, but the design never stops asking for them.
Final verdict
Clair Obscur is the rare game that deserves both of its scores. It is superbly made, and it is sold honestly: a sensible list price, a Deluxe Edition that only adds outfits, a big free update and a place on Game Pass from the first day.
Buy it on GOG for DRM-free ownership and the longest refund window, on Steam if your library lives there, or play it through Game Pass if you already subscribe.
Weigh it against
Sources
This review is an editorial analysis of published evidence; see how we judge. Prices checked 25 September 2026.
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 official site
- Steam: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- GOG: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- PlayStation Store UK: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Metacritic: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- OpenCritic: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- HowLongToBeat: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Steam news: Clair Obscur updates